Team
TackleTour: “What was the cause for this venture into the world’s most
fuel-efficient 4-stroke bass boat project verses maybe DFI technology?”

Grant
Goldbeck:
“It kept coming up…questions about how to make our boats more efficient seem to
breech our conversations often. The 4-stroke movement continues to grow rapidly.
In fact, Yamaha is juggling the demand. A good headache… I guess.”

Grant
Goldbeck:
“There are many benefits to four-stroke technology. We wanted to know if we
could extend them. Most manufacturers have to build a bigger, heavier boat,
which starts robbing your pocket book…more material costs, increased weight,
increased fuel consumption, and even safety…due to weight, balance and speed
comes in to question. There is a clear give and take between this type of
technology but Yamaha and Allison appear to have done it right. It’s awesome to
see companies use such collaboration on a project.”

David Ittner of Yamaha talks about
using a 4 stroke to improve rough water ride while lowering fuel and oil costs
over the course of a season

David Ittner
of Yamaha: “These days, tournament anglers are wiser going into the
game. They are asking those important questions which extend beyond the fishing
deck. Questions like ‘Can I improve my rough water ride, lower my fuel and oil
costs over the course of a tournament season and do this with the reliability of
a 4-stroke’

Grant
Goldbeck:
“I think people are going to be blown away when they see they can run rough chop
for 100 miles without beating their kidneys and gain 20% to double the fuel
savings, while have a 4-stroke motor that is powerful and has amazing mid-range
numbers already witnessed. I mean seriously if you could save 25% of your
annual boat fuel costs… but what if you could save half? I probably spend 10k
in just boat fuel per year in pre-fishing, Elite tournaments, Opens, and some
cherry picked events. So in essence my incentive payback can be like a pay
raise of $200.00-$500.00 a month.”

Plenty of technology courtesy of
the
Yamaha 225 V MAX SHO

Team
TackleTour: “So literally you decided to inquire with Allison boats about the
possibility of running one of their hulls in the Elite Bassmaster Tour?”

Grant
Goldbeck:
“Actually yes, I personally knew very little about Allison. What impressed me
was the materials and strength incorporated in these hulls. It exceeds what we
know as average anglers and what goes into standard boat building. For example,
in over 30 years, Allison has NOT had a single transom blowout or delamination.
Amazing. There’snot a single bass boat company on tour that can make
that claim. I was equally excited about Yamaha. Everyone knows day in and day
out Yamaha has been a more reliable engine… I think it's a great match. This
combo is the most stable ride I have ever been in. In fact, it has been the
safest and fastest boat on the pro-tour.”

I would call that a pretty decent
amount of rear storage

Team
TackleTour: “How did Mr. Allison respond?”

Grant
Goldbeck:
“Darris Allison had a pause and was very clear he wasn’t interested if it had to
do solely with speed or horse-power. He is a quiet man, but when he says
something it’s gold and everyone listens [laughing]. As he put it ‘speed is a
by-product of efficiency ‘. If it was going to be about fuel savings, hole
shot, mid range sprints, rough water handling, close course turning Darris was
in.”

Grant
Goldbeck:
“As you know may know his hulls hold literally thousands of race wins, and
championships with many world records. Unlike some brief success story, Allison
factory has a very secret R&D platform, they simply don’t discuss. Their
resources go back into R&D. They have dominated well over a half a century. What
I didn’t know was the fact they have had a hull called the XB21. Designed for
what we needed. A big bass boat, 21 feet long and 93 inch wide, with a 9- foot
deck.”

Looks like a normal electronics
flush mount?

Another innovation from Allison
the E-Ped (Electronic Pedestal) that elevates the fish finder to a convenient
and more visible height above the casting deck

Team
TackleTour:“David do you have the performance numbers from the Allison/
Yamaha project?”

David Ittner
of Yamaha: “We’re still gathering those numbers and will release that
data in the near future. We think Yamaha owners are going to be impressed with
the results, and the potential for bass anglers to run less horsepower on the
back of these hulls and get mind blowing fuel efficiency and performance is
exciting. Grant’s Yamaha 225 V MAX SHO® is proof of just that on the Elite Tour,
saving money on the purchase, on fuel and having excellent performance on all
levels.”

Thanks to Grant, David and the
team for providing details into the Allison/Yamaha Project

Team
TackleTour:“This project does sound exciting! This creates new frontiers for tournament
anglers. This could also pay into a cost of ownership reduction. Is there
anything you would like to add?”

David Ittner
of Yamaha: “This technology hasn’t simply changed the game, it has
owned it. The outstanding performance and tournament reliability is
unbelievable. The tournament pro is the real winner. They are getting a real
dose of unheard of performance standard, with every Yamaha. It’s also why Grant
and many other pros trust their game to Yamaha. We are genuinely excited for the
future.”

Grant
Goldbeck:
“Yeah, what he said! All kidding aside, it is apparent, how much thought and
engineering has gone into these motors. I am really pleased with the reliability
of my 225 SHO® and, blown away with the efficient rough water ride of the
Allison. I hear other professional anglers are really watching this project
play out. I know there are going to be more and more anglers looking at the
SHO® and BasSport Pro.